


there's a thousand ways for things to fall apart

by IKHoldrige73



Series: we are stronger here together [2]
Category: DC Animated Universe, DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: M/M, THIS IS PART TWO, again i apologize, because really they have no correlation whatsoever, but can totally be read as a stand alone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-22
Updated: 2016-07-22
Packaged: 2018-07-25 23:12:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7550917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IKHoldrige73/pseuds/IKHoldrige73
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hal beams at him, kisses his lips once and then moves to deliver a short, sweet kiss to the blond’s forehead. </p><p>or </p><p>Three times Hal Jordan got home from a mission with Barry Allen waiting for him and the one time he wasn't.</p>
            </blockquote>





	there's a thousand ways for things to fall apart

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is the companion piece to "maybe all the plans we made might not work out" and it follows the same idea and everything but it's not the same as that one. This one was a gift for one of the halbarry net members on her birthday a little while ago, and AGAIN everyone hated me for a couple of days over this. In my defense, again, this is what Kendall wanted and, I REPEAT, I have done nothing wrong ever. 
> 
> (Also, fun fact, when I was writing the last part, my playlist played me and put "Show me the meaning of being lonely" by the Backstreet Boys and I was TORN.)
> 
> So, have fun!!

1\. 

He knows he's a day late. 

Hal is very much aware that he is pushing his luck right here by not sending out a message to his boyriend about coming home late, but he can't find the energy in him to do it. 

He's tired, beaten and more than a little bit bloodied, so he is not going to stop in the middle of space to alert his boyfriend that he is not dead yet.  
Barry will have to see for himself when he gets there. 

He knows Barry will be waiting for him at Watchtower, sitting in front of the monitors like a lost puppy and tapping his foot against the metal floor in that adorably endearing way of his, and so he sets his course straight to Watchtower. 

He asks for the time once he's almost reached his destination, feels his eyes droop slightly when he's told it's a little before four in the morning, and he sends out a small prayer when he finally sees the JL satellite orbiting around earth in the same place he remembers having left it two weeks ago. 

When the Zeta tube transports him into Watchtower, he is met with exactly what he had been expecting--an armful of vibrating speedster and blond, blond hair, a true sight for sore eyes. 

Hal wraps Barry in his arms, leans his head against the crown of his head, and breathes in the scent that's so characteristic to his partner in and out of the costume. The Flash mumbles something against his chest, but Jordan doesn't manage to catch it all that well--and it doesn't matter anyway, because he's content just being here with Barry. 

(He wants to take it back some time later when, after some rest and a shower, Barry just outright punches him. Hard.)

 

2\. 

Hal wouldn't have known that a three-day mission could turn out to be so complicated. 

He guesses he should've seen it coming from miles away when Kyle said something about this mission looking like walk in the park. 

(If Barry asks, he's going to blame it all on Kyle and that Star Sapphire they met on the way. It's absurd into how much trouble that woman got them into, but Kyle had been hell bent in helping her; no matter the cost.) 

He ends up being five days late, and Barry's welcome back at Watchtower actually hurts him a little bit. His boyfriend seems to be really riled up over this, and he hugs him a little bit too tightly while vibrating urgently against him. Hal thinks its more than just a little bit adorable, but it still makes him feel like his heart is breaking in two. 

(He wants to tell Barry that everything will be okay, and that he will always come back, but he doesn't say it, forgotten in that adorable pout Barry gives him when they're back in their apartment and he says he's hungry.) 

 

3\. 

He doesn't like the idea of being gone for one month, but Hal thinks he'll be able to stomach it if Barry promises to be there at the end of this god forsaken mission. 

Barry promises of course, and says that he'll come sit down at the monitors like every single time to await for his boyfriend to come back from being off-world. The thought is the only thing keeping Hal from killing everyone in this stupid diplomatic mission he's been sent to, and he talks to his ring on a regular basis--pretends its Barry on the other end, even thought he's too far out for his ring to actually reach his boyfriend, and rattles on about his boring days on this planet. 

The day that he's set to go back to Earth, he asks his rings to make the correct calculations so that he's exactly on time back at Watchtower, and he makes a promise to himself that he will get there at 3:30 pm like he promised his boyfriend. 

When he is transported into Watchtower, Hal is close to tears as he watches his boyfriend spin over in his chair in front of the monitors and open his arms lazily over to him. Barry looks abso-fucking-lutely gorgeous, and Hal cannot stop himself from wrapping himself around his speedster like a goddamn octopus. 

He kisses the top of Barry's head, rests his cheek against him and closes his eyes, becomes focused on everything Barry close to him. The scent of someone who spends too much time running, that underlying aroma of citrus that Hal has no idea where Barry gets from; the vibrations of an overexcited speedster that waited too long to see his beloved; the little sigh the Flash does when he buries his head in Hal's chest--this is the man who's always waiting for Hal to get home. 

Hal smiles against blond tresses, tightens his arms around Barry a little too much causing Allen to squeak undignified, and is suddenly hit with a huge wave of feelings. He knows that, no matter what corner of the universe he is visiting, Hal will always have someone to come home too. 

Someone who waits for him. 

(He hopes it never ends. He doesn't want this to end. He prays, he really prays for it to never end.)

 

+1

It's a one day mission. 

He asks Barry not to worry too much this time, and is met with a roll of blue eyes and a measly promise that Barry Allen will be staying at home to review actual police paper work while he waits. Hal beams at him, kisses his lips once and then moves to deliver a short, sweet kiss to the blond's forehead. 

He flies backwards, doesn't let his eyes fall from the spot where Barry is still standing outside their apartment building, watching him go, and then turns around when he's sure his boyfriend has ducked back inside into the stupid building. 

The mission is easy. 

It's a one day mission and Hal at least doesn't have Kyle's jinx for this to go awry really fast, so he's wrapping everything up and reporting back to the Guardians in about eighteen hours. He left the apartment at around eight that morning, and he knows its around two am of the next day after he asks his ring. 

He hurries back home, doesn't listen to anything else his superior or teammates have to say, and he passes by Watchtower without a single glance because he knows Barry is waiting for him in their home back in Central City. 

When he gets there, its already around ten in the morning, so he doesn't expect to see Barry lying around on their bed if he's being honest. Barry has an actualy day job he attends to when he's not busy being the Flash, and Hal goes to sleep without even thinking about calling--Barry will be home in some hours and he'll be right here regaining his energies to tackle the day ahead. 

He closes his eyes, drifts to sleep, and thinks about their upcoming aniversary--he still needs to talk to Clark about the surprise he has planned for Barry, but he doesn't have much time to think about that before he's conked out entirely. 

Hal wakes up to the smell of coffee and freshly made food, and he smiles from ear to ear before hopping out of bed to follow his instincts back to the kitchen. He stretches lazily, stands up, and makes his way into the small kitchenette at the heart of their home. 

And he finds Clark and Diana there instead of his speedster. 

"Not that I don't adore when you guys come to visit," Hal says beaming at Diana when she catches notice of him coming into his kitchen "Especially when Clark is cooking," he goes over to the man in question and gets on his tip-toes to see what he's making "But to what do I owe this pleasure?" 

Diana stiffens a bit in her seat, but Hal doesn't really question it, he's far too distracted by Clark's cooking to actually pay attention to that. Despite the general tightness about her stance, however, Diana simply smiles back at him with as much sincerity as she can muster, and she shrugs her shoulders slightly, wringing her hands together in front of her. 

"We came to talk," Clark offers from his place at the stove, taking a plate to serve some of his food for Hal "But why don't you eat something first--knowing you, you probably didn't eat anything when you came back from your mission." 

Hal grins wolfishly at Superman, brings a hand up to his chest in mock-offense "Boy, do you know me well." 

He digs into the food with little to no etiquette, realizes he's much more hungry than what he initially planned, and tunes out Clark and Diana for a little bit. He thinks its a little bit perfect that Clark is here before Barry, so they can talk about that surprise Hal is working out for their anniversary thats coming up. Maybe its good that Diana is here too, so he can ask her view as the sensitive woman she is, and he hums happily at the thought of Barry's surprise. 

"Hal," Clark finally pipes up, already sitting down at the small table to Hal's left side "We really need to talk." 

Jordan simply smiles, gulps down the last bit of food that Clark made for him, and nods "Yeah, man, we do--you know how I was telling you about Barry and mine anniversary coming soon and--" 

"It's about Barry, actually," Diana interrupts, and looks even more tense than she did a minute ago, unable to meet Hal's eyes when he turns to look at her "Barry's--" 

"Did something happen?" Hal asks, eyebrows furrowing together as he leans into the table, ready to stand up if Barry needs him--he'll get there "Is he okay?" 

Both of his teammates fall silent, and Hal feels something churning in his stomach. Something heavy and vile, and all he wants to do is to get rid of that horrible feeling that's plaguing him. Clark and Diana share a quick look, and Wonder Woman reaches over the table, clasps Hal's hands in hers, and starts talking. 

Starts breaking Hal's world apart, word by word. 

She talks about the speedforce and some kind of battle that went down in Central City just a day ago--the day he left--but Jordan feels like this isn't happening. They're having a ceremony in honor of the Flash in downtown just the next day, but the JL and Barry's closest friends are having his funeral somewhere out of the city, where Nora Allen was buried years before his son. 

He doesn't want to hear it. He's not going to hear it. 

Hal snaps his hands away from Diana, drawing a small mortified look from Wonder Woman herself, and a frown permanently etched on Clark's face. They both stand up after him, follow him out of the kitchen and down the short hallway leading to their room, but Hal manages to slam the door on their faces before they can actually go in. 

He stays frozen inside the room--a room they had joked had been way to big for two people only some days ago--and realizes it feels way too big without Barry here next to him. Clark and Diana speak in hushed tones just outside his door, but he doesn't care to listen to them. His mind is reeling, thinking about all the ways how this was his fault and how he could've avoided it if he had been here for Barry when he needed him. 

His knees fail him then, and he sinks down to the floor. The first sob breaks through his lips, and then a couple more follow it out before Hal completely breaks. He brings his hands up to his face, cries into them, body shaking with the sheer strength of his feelings pouring out of him in waves. Somewhere in the distance, he hears the door open behind him, and then Diana's arms are around him, pulling him to her and carding delicate fingers through his hair. 

He turns to bury his head in the crook of her neck, lets out a string of incoherent words and holds on to Diana because Hal isn't sure what else he's supposed to be doing right now. There's something missing inside of him now, some vital piece of himself that only Barry could provide him with, and Barry's not here anymore.  
Barry. Barry who always waited for him when he was hours late from his due-date. Barry who sat at Watchtower and tapped his feet against the metal floor waiting for him. Barry who opened his arms and buried himself in Hal whenever he came back. 

Barry who was supposed to be here waiting for him.


End file.
